FLgrl79

I am a new nurse as well and I feel the same exact way. I also signed a 2 yr contract ($13k) so I'm pretty much stuck at the hospital for 2 yrs. What helps me is having a hobby that takes me away from work stress. I picked up photography again and created an instagram account of all my photos and that keeps me busy. It's been a great therapy for me because creativity takes over and I can scape my nursing brain. I also feel that as months go by and I gain experience and time management skills, my job will get easier. Everyone says the first year is tough. Think of it as something temporary that's going to allow you to gain really good nursing skills and it will prepare you for a much better job in the near future. I think of my med tele floor as a stepping stone for me. I will do my time and learn valuable skills for something else. I also want to suggest that you reach out to your friends. You have no idea how good it feels when you have people to talk and laugh with. You need that mental escape from work!! Really, get out and enjoy life. Always have something to look forward to when you're working. The more you isolate yourself the worst you're going to feel. It helps me to have a supportive boyfriend who lets me rant about work. You gotta let it out!! Hang in there. You're not alone. I'm feeling the same way, and a lot of other new RNs are too. Find something you enjoy doing on your time off and get your mind off work. Good luck to you! :)

Hmm, I wonder why that is? That's very interesting. I would think PCU GN should be across the board. I also have my copy and that was the amount on it. Hmmm.

Hello, I'm a current PCU GN working at FH Orlando finishing up my preceptorship. My floor is very challenging and quite frankly, this whole training hasn't been what I expected. As I've learned, my unit has a high turnover rate. It's very challenging, especially for a new grad. I want to complete my 2 yr. obligation since I don't want to repay back the $13,500. Does anyone know from experience if it's easy to transfer after 6 mos? And does the transfer need to be to another PCU unit (I was hired as a PCU nurse) or can I chose anything else? I hear Altamonte is a better hospital. What about East? Any thoughts? Any input will be greatly appreciated. I'm very discouraged

Hi guys, Just a few days ago I was surfing this area looking for reassurance that I would do fine with the NCLEX :) I took the NCLEX last Friday and successfully passed with 75 questions! I HIGHLY recommend Kaplan Qbank because their question format almost mirrors the actual NCLEX. I personally think the Kaplan questions are actually tougher than the actual NCLEX. By completing all 1,300 Qbank questions and reading every rationale for the wrong answers, I felt I was really prepared to answer NCLEX questions. I went through the actual NCLEX questions feeling prepared and at ease because I did a bunch of similar questions with Kaplan. Second, don't be discouraged by your overall test score. I had a 60% overall score and my Qbank scores first ranged from 47 to mid 50's to a few high 60's and 70's. I also did the sample tests and my scores were all over the place there too. Don't be discouraged if you do really well on one exam and bomb the next one. READ THE RATIONALES AND UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GET THE ANSWERS WRONG! Please, don't focus on the scores. Take your time reading the question, understanding what it's asking you and read through all answers carefully. Really learn to apply your critical thinking skills when answering the questions because that's what NCLEX is all about. Other things I used: Saunders NCLEX review book: I focused on pre-op/post-op positioning of patients and made sure I understood positions after GI, neuro, cardiac, NG tubes and what to do when a vent fails. I also reviewed endocrine conditions and what S&S to look for. Learn the S&S of alcohol/drug withdrawals. I reviewed warning signs of labor and what care to provide the newborn. Make sure you understand basic developmental stages. Don't study 2 year's worth of material, but focus on what could go wrong with common conditions (S&S to look for) and the required nursing interventions. Their questions are not great, but I focused on rationales. LaCharity Prioritization, Delegation, and Assignment: I focused on emergency & infection control. The book really helps you prioritize care & answer those "what you do first". Really review infection control and learn what requires airborne, droplet and contact precautions. Those will be on NCLEX! Don't kill yourself trying to know every drug! Focus on the drug groups (learn to identify prefix/suffix that are common to drugs) and what are the common SE and adverse effects of the drugs (incl. patient teaching). Don't forget those lab values either! Day before the test: I finished all my Qbank questions the day before and lightly reviewed flashcards I made for drugs. I stopped reviewing around 4 pm (I was probably brain dead before that lol) and made sure to get enough rest (Ha! that will never happen btw lol.. good luck if you get 4 hours of sleep!) Test day: I ate a good breakfast, I prayed and listened to Katie Perry's "Roar" and I felt very at ease During the test I seriously felt I was answering Kaplan questions. I had about 10 or so SATA questions, no drug calculations, and a lot of "who do you see first, what's your first action". Again, Kaplan prepared me very well. I got serious with my studying about 2 weeks before my testing date. I took days off and on study days I tried to answer at least 50 or 75 q. About 4 days into the NCLEX I did about 125 or so per day. You really don't want to study longer than that. Good luck everyone and have faith in your education and really focus on practice questions and reading rationales. Know WHY you got the question wrong. Good luck!

I am facing the same issue. I emailed my letter as well on Sunday and since I didn't get a response, I faxed over the form as well. I got an email from UCF asking for patience since it takes a while to get a response. I wish I could at least get a confirmation that they have my acceptance letter. I will email them again tonight. Good luck!

I didn't do too well the first time I took the TEAS test. I went back to the ATI book and made sure I understood every chapter of the science portion. The ATI book is very general, so spend time watching youtube videos and getting more familiar with the periodic table (i.e. what makes ionic bonds/covalent bonds, octect rule!), know acids vs. bases, know mitosis vs. meiosis inside out, and other areas such as: facilitated diffusion, osmosis, potential vs. kinetic. The second time around I made sure I focused on the periodic table and how the different bonds are made, including the octect rule and how that applies to oxygen, carbon, etc. Do a search within this forum for tips on studying for the science portion of the TEAS. It offers a great insight on the areas to focus on. A lot of the material covered within the TEAS test forum of this site is what I used to study for the TEAS. Don't give up and keep up the studying. You're gonna do great the next time around!

Congratulations on finally completing the nursing program! I bet you're glad to be done with school. I just received my acceptance email this afternoon for the concurrent program in Orlando, so I'm just starting my nursing chapter. Congrats and good luck on your new career :)

Congratulations to all my future nursing classmates! I also got accepted into the concurrent program! We finally made after all that hard work. Woo hoo!!

From what I've read on other SCC/UCF forums, it looks like they send out the emails almost on the 5th week. My emotions can't take another week lol... Good luck everyone! :)

Hi Everyone! Which science pre-reqs are you using to recalculate your science GPA? Are you only using AP I, APII and microbiology? Thanks for any assistance :)

I'm planning on taking the TEAS next week. I've been studying the ATI book and I've been taking the tests on the McGraw-Hill. I would highly recommend getting the ATI book so you can study the material you need to know for the TEAS test. I've gone to websites that offer practice tests for the TEAS but I've found that most of their science tests are not covered on the ATI book so I don't bother checking those sites out. Study the ATI like your life depends on it and you'll do much better. Good luck!! :)